Robot News #5

Still working to catch up on all of the robot/automation/AI articles that have come out recently.

The Video “Rise”

In the short video “Rise” the inevitable rise of the machine comes, but it is the result of the mistreatment of our creations. An interesting look at a possible future. It is a short (5 minutes) but very well done video portraying robots as being persecuted by humans. The robots rise up to fight for their survival.

Can creativity and self-awareness be designed into the AI code behind robots? It looks like Machine Learning may replace programming as the way to train robots. The Creative Machines Labs, part of the engineering school at Columbia University, is actively investigating that route. The researchers envision biology inspired machines that evolve, and ‘think’. Not only will these machines be able to develop new ideas, but they will implement them as well. Read more here.

Robot Snake

There has been considerable efforts on robots that walk or roll across the ground, but there is ample need for robots to probe the waters depths too. This snake like robot can easily navigate tight spaces. I can see where this sort of robot would have many uses around ships or off-shore drilling platforms. I found watching the video below a little creepy.

Russian Dimitri Grishin has expanded the fund he set up Grishin Robotics to promote consumer robots from $25 million to $100 million. Grishin Robotics has invested in eight companies so far. The larger fund will let Grishin Robotics greatly expand their investment in consumer robotics. Read more here.

InMoov Takes Advantage of Open Source

InMoov is a 3D printed, Open Source, human size robot that can be used for a variety of research efforts. This will open up many opportunities for researchers with limited budgets. Because the parts can be printed on many 3D printers, hobbyists can take advantage of this design as well. Read more here.